Information processing system, information processing device, image forming device, and control method therefor, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

Setting information, which is stored in an image forming device, is imported to a mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is brought close to the image forming device by sending the setting information stored in the image forming device from the image forming device to the mobile terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/187,570, filed Feb. 26, 2021, which claims the benefit of JapanesePatent Application No. 2020-037223, filed Mar. 4, 2020, both of whichare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates to a data processing device that acquiressetting information from an image forming device.

Description of the Related Art

In recent years, with the spread of high-performance mobile terminalscalled smart phones, the number of multifunction peripherals (MFPs) thatcooperate with the mobile terminals is increasing. For example, themobile terminal can issue a print instruction to the MFP by using awireless communication. The mobile terminal accepts an operation from auser, configures a print job based on any selected print data andvarious print setting information (for example, color, sheet feed tray,and the number of copies to print), and by sending the print job to theMFP, can cause the MFP to perform print processing. At this time, awireless communication between the mobile terminal and the image formingdevice is established according to a communication protocol such asTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), near fieldcommunication (NFC), or Bluetooth®, and can be realized by a known art.

In addition to the print function, the MFP has various functions such asa scan function, a copy function, and a fax function, and settinginformation to be set when performing various functions can beregistered in the MFP or the mobile terminal. The user can register anyfrequently used setting information in the MFP or the mobile terminal,and when issuing an execution instruction to the MFP, can call and usethe registered setting information. The user may want to use, on themobile terminal, the setting information registered in the MFP.Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-207875discusses a method in which a mobile terminal can store and use anysetting information registered in an MFP.

However, in order for the mobile terminal to acquire and register thesetting information registered in the MFP, various operations arerequired on the MFP or the mobile terminal, which is complicated for theuser. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-207875 does notdescribe a detailed method for the mobile terminal to store the settinginformation registered in the MFP.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a technique for a mobileterminal to acquire setting information registered in an image formingdevice without impairing operability to a user.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an informationprocessing system includes a terminal and an image forming device thatcommunicate with each other via a short-range wireless communication,wherein the terminal includes a memory and a processor in communicationwith the memory, wherein the processor performs receiving job settinginformation from the image forming device, and storing the received jobsetting information to send a job to an external device using thereceived job setting information, wherein the image forming deviceincludes a memory and a processor in communication with the memory,wherein the processor performs storing job setting information in theimage forming device, and sending the stored job setting information tothe terminal, and wherein in response to the short-range wirelesscommunication performed between the terminal and the image formingdevice, when sending the job setting information is to be performed, thestored job setting information is sent to the terminal and the terminalreceives the job setting information.

Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a data processing system configuration diagram according to afirst exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of adata processing device according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of animage forming device according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of thedata processing device according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of theimage forming device according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of job setting informationregistration processing according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams each illustrating a flowchart of the jobsetting information registration processing according to the firstexemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 7C through 7E are diagrams each illustrating a flowchart of thejob setting information registration processing according to the firstexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of job performanceprocessing according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams each illustrating an example of a jobsetting information list managed by the image forming device accordingto the first exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 10A through 10E are diagrams illustrating screens relating toacquisition and registration of job setting information by the dataprocessing device according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating screens relating to jobsetting transmission by an image forming device according to a secondexemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 12A through 12C are diagrams illustrating screens relating toacquisition and registration of job setting information by a dataprocessing device according to the second exemplary embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail withreference to the drawings. However, any components described in theexemplary embodiments are merely examples that are not seen to belimiting.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an information processing systemaccording to a first exemplary embodiment. A data processing system 100is composed of a data processing device 101, a wireless local areanetwork (LAN) terminal 102, an image forming device 104, and a cloudserver 105, and the above devices are connected via a network 103.

The data processing device 101 is, for example, a mobile terminal suchas a smart phone or a tablet, and an operating system for a smallterminal or a program for controlling a call or data communication maybe running Alternatively, the data processing device 101 may be apersonal computer that does not have voice control, position detectioncontrol, mobile phone data communication, or the like. In addition, thedata processing device 101 is connected to the network 103 by thewireless LAN terminal 102.

The wireless LAN terminal 102 is a master unit of a wireless LAN havinga general network router function, and provides a wireless LAN in a homeor an office.

The image forming device 104 is a digital multifunction device havingvarious job execution functions such as a printer function, a copyfunction, a scan function, and a fax transmission function. By operatingthe data processing device 101, a user can instruct the image formingdevice 104 to perform the job and can perform various functions of theimage forming device 104.

Via the network 103, the cloud server 105 manages the data used by thedata processing device 101 and the image forming device 104, andperforms expansion processing, or the like of various functions. In thepresent exemplary embodiment, the image forming device 104 and the cloudserver 105 are connected to the network 103 by wire, but they may bewirelessly connected by using the wireless LAN terminal 102 in the samemanner as the data processing device 101.

Further, the data processing device 101 and the image forming device 104can perform a short-range wireless communication via a wireless signalof near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth® Low Energy, or the like.In an NFC communication unit and a Bluetooth® Low Energy communicationunit, which will be described below, the image forming device 104 hasconnection information (Internet Protocol (IP) address, media accesscontrol (MAC) address, or the like) for wireless LAN connection with theimage forming device 104, and the data processing device 101 acquiresthe connection information by the short-range wireless communication.Then, the data processing device 101 and the image forming device 104start the wireless LAN communication based on the acquired connectioninformation. That is, by changing from the connection informationexchanged by the short-range wireless communication such as the NFCcommunication or the Bluetooth® Low Energy communication between thedevices to the wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi® (called ahandover method), the wireless LAN communication of the data processingdevice 101 and the image forming device 104 is established.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of thedata processing device 101 according to the present exemplaryembodiment.

The data processing device 101 has a controller unit 201. The controllerunit 201 controls various communication units such as an NFCcommunication unit 210, a Bluetooth® Low Energy communication unit 211,and a wireless LAN communication unit 212, and various user interface(UI) units such as a microphone speaker 213, a display 214, and a touchpanel 215.

The controller unit 201 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU)202, a read only memory (ROM) 203, a random access memory (RAM) 204, anetwork interface (UF) 205, a voice control unit 206, a display controlunit 207, an input control unit 208, and a storage device 209, which areconnected by a system bus 216.

The CPU 202 controls the entire system of the data processing device101. The ROM 203 stores an operating system of the data processingdevice 101 and applications that control calls and data communications,and the CPU 202 performs various programs. The RAM 204 is a memory forthe CPU 202 to perform various programs, and a work memory area for theapplication to perform the programs.

The storage device 209 is a non-volatile storage device, and recordsvarious operation mode settings, operation logs, or the like that needto be retained even after the data processing device 101 is restarted.In particular, in the present exemplary embodiment, the storage device209 stores the setting information used when instructing the imageforming device 104 to perform, the setting information acquired from theimage forming device 104, and the like.

The network I/F 205 is connected to the NFC communication unit 210, theBluetooth® Low Energy communication unit 211, and the wireless LANcommunication unit 212, and performs various wireless communicationcontrols with the image forming device 104 and the cloud server 105.

The voice control unit 206 controls the input/output of the voice datavia the microphone speaker 213. The display control unit 207 controlsthe output of the image data displayed on the display 214. The inputcontrol unit 208 controls the input of the information instructed by theuser via a button or the touch panel 215. Using these voice control unit206, display control unit 207, and input control unit 208, variousapplications performed by the data processing device 101 are provided tothe user.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of theimage forming device 104 according to the present exemplary embodiment.

The image forming device 104 has a controller unit 301, and thecontroller unit 301 controls various communication units such as an NFCcommunication unit 310, a Bluetooth® Low Energy communication unit 311,and a wireless LAN communication unit 312, and in addition, an operationunit 307, a scanner 313, and a printer 314. When the user uses the copyfunction, the controller unit 301 controls the scanner 313 to therebyacquire the image data of an original document, and controls the printer314 to thereby print and output an image on a sheet. In addition, whenthe user uses the scan function, the controller unit 301 controls thescanner 313 to thereby acquire the image data of an original document,converts the acquired image data into code data, and sends the code datato the data processing device 101, the cloud server 105, or the like viathe network 103. Further, when the user uses the print function, thecontroller unit 301 receives the image data (code data) via the dataprocessing device 101, the cloud server 105, or the network 103. Then,the controller unit 301 converts the received print data into image dataand sends the image data to the printer 314. Based on the received imagedata, the printer 314 prints an image on a sheet to output the image. Inaddition, the image forming device 104 also has a fax receiving functionfor receiving and printing data from the Integrated Services DigitalNetwork (ISDN), or the like, and a fax sending function for sendingscanned data to the ISDN, or the like. The work for performing each ofthese functions is called a job, and the image forming device 104performs a predetermined process according to the job which correspondsto each function.

The controller unit 301 is composed of a CPU 302, a RAM 303, a ROM 304,a hard disk drive (HDD) 305, an operation unit I/F 306, a network I/F308, and a device I/F 309, and they are connected by a system bus 316.

The CPU 302 controls the entire system of the image forming device 104.The RAM 303 is a system work memory for operating the CPU 302, and isalso an image memory for temporarily storing image data and settingdata. In addition, the RAM 303 is also equipped with programs and datasuch as an operating system, system software, and application software.In addition, the RAM 303 stores any scan image data read by the scanner313, and stores the print image data received from the data processingdevice 101 via the network 103. The ROM 304 stores a boot program of thesystem. The HDD 305 stores an operating system, system software,application software, image data, setting data, or the like.

The operation unit I/F 306 is an interface unit with the operation unit307, and outputs, to the operation unit 307, information to be displayedon the operation unit 307. The operation unit I/F 306 also accepts fromthe operation unit 307 the information entered by the user.

The network I/F 308 is connected to the NFC communication unit 310, theBluetooth® Low Energy communication unit 311, and the wireless LANcommunication unit 312, and performs various wireless communicationcontrols with the data processing device 101 and the cloud server 105.The wireless LAN communication unit 312 forms a wireless LAN with thedata processing device 101 via the network 103. In addition, the NFCcommunication unit 310 and the Bluetooth® Low Energy communication unit311 perform a short-range wireless communication with the dataprocessing device 101 via wireless signals. The image forming device 104sends and receives job setting information and image data to and fromthe data processing device 101 via the network I/F 308, and performs thejob received from the data processing device 101. Hereinafter, thesetting information given to the job is referred to as job settinginformation. For example, in the case of a print job, the settinginformation such as the number of copies given to the print job: 1,color setting: monochrome, size: A4 is used as the job settinginformation.

The device I/F 309 connects the scanner 313 for reading image data andthe printer 314 for printing to the controller unit 301, and inputs andoutputs the image data.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the software configuration of thedata processing device 101 according to the present exemplaryembodiment.

An application 401 is software performed by the CPU 202 of the dataprocessing device 101, and is stored in the RAM 204, the storage device209, and the like.

A UI control unit 402 accepts the settings (job setting information)input by the user with the touch panel 215 and sends settings to a jobsetting management unit 406 via the input control unit 208. In addition,the UI control unit 402 receives a response from the job settingmanagement unit 406 and a job control unit 407, and outputs theinformation to the display 214 via the display control unit 207.Further, the UI control unit 402 accepts authentication informationinput by the user with the touch panel 215, and sends the acceptedauthentication information to an authentication setting management unit403 via the input control unit 208.

To the network control unit 405, the authentication setting managementunit 403 sends the authentication information such as the userinformation received from the UI control unit 402. Via the network 103,the authentication information is used in the authentication processingwhich will be described below and performed in the image forming device104. In addition, authentication information such as user informationmay be stored in the authentication setting management unit 403.

A device connection unit 404 establishes a short-range wirelesscommunication by the NFC communication unit 210 and Bluetooth® LowEnergy communication unit 211 of the data processing device 101 and theNFC communication unit 310 and Bluetooth® Low Energy communication unit311 of the image forming device 104, or the wireless LAN communicationvia the network 103. For example, in the case of the NFC, the userstarts the short-range wireless communication by bringing the NFCcommunication unit 210 of the data processing device 101 and the NFCcommunication unit 310 of the image forming device 104 closer to eachother. In the case of the Bluetooth® Low Energy, the user brings theBluetooth® Low Energy communication unit 211 of the data processingdevice 101 closer to the Bluetooth® Low Energy communication unit 311 ofthe image forming device 104. Then, when the radio strength of aBluetooth® Low Energy beacon received from the image forming device 104is equal to or greater than a certain value, the device connection unit404 starts a bidirectional short-range wireless communication. In thisway, the user performs an operation (called a touch operation) to bringthe NFC and Bluetooth® Low Energy communication units of the dataprocessing device 101 and the image forming device 104 closer to eachother, so that the device connection unit 404 can acquire, from theimage forming device 104, the connection information (IP address, or thelike) required for the wireless LAN communication. Then, using theacquired connection information, the data processing device 101 starts awireless LAN connection with the image forming device 104. Further, itmay be so established that, without performing the short-range wirelesscommunication, the data processing device 101 reads a Quick Responsecode (QR code®) indicating the connection information displayed on theimage forming device 104, so that the image forming device 104 and thedata processing device 101 establish the wireless LAN communication.

The network control unit 405 sends the job (including job settinginformation, execution instruction command, image data, or the like),user authentication information, or the like to the image forming device104 via the network 103. Further, via the network 103, the networkcontrol unit 405 receives the job setting information stored in theimage forming device 104.

In the RAM 204 or the storage device 209, the job setting managementunit 406 stores the job setting information input by the user via the UIcontrol unit 402 and the job setting information received from the imageforming device 104 or the cloud server 105 by the network control unit405. At this time, the job setting management unit 406 manages thesepieces of job setting information as “favorite”, which is a settingoften used by users. In addition, the job setting management unit 406manages, as “preset”, the job setting information stored in advance inthe RAM 204 and the storage device 209 at the time of installation ofthe application 401.

From the job setting information such as “favorite” and “preset”registered in the job setting management unit 406, the job control unit407 generates information to be instructed to perform the job, and sendsa job performance instruction to the image forming device 104 via thenetwork 103. In addition, the job control unit 407 acquires the jobperformance status and also the operating state of the devices such asthe scanner 313 and the printer 314 from the image forming device 104via the network 103, and sends them to the UI control unit 402.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of theimage forming device 104 according to the present exemplary embodiment.

An application 501 is software performed by the CPU 302 of the imageforming device 104, and is stored in the RAM 303, the HDD 305, or thelike.

A UI control unit 502 accepts the job setting information and the likeinput by the user in the operation unit 307 and sends them to a jobsetting management unit 506. In addition, the UI control unit 502receives a response from a job setting management unit 506 and a jobcontrol unit 507, and outputs the information to the operation unit 307.

An authentication unit 503 performs user identification processing anduser authentication processing based on the authentication informationreceived from the data processing device 101, and returns the result.

A device connection unit 504 performs a short-range wirelesscommunication between the data processing device 101 and the imageforming device 104, and establishes a wireless LAN communication via thenetwork 103.

A network control unit 505 receives a job (job setting information, jobperformance instruction command, image data), user authenticationinformation, or the like from the data processing device 101 via thenetwork 103. Further, to the data processing device 101 via the network103, the network control unit 505 sends the job setting informationstored in the image forming device 104.

In the RAM 303 or the HDD 305, the job setting management unit 506stores the job setting information input by the user with the UI controlunit 502 and the job setting information received from the dataprocessing device 101 or the cloud server 105 with the network controlunit 505. At this time, the job setting management unit 506 managesthese pieces of job setting information as “favorite”, which is asetting often used by users. In addition, the job setting managementunit 506 manages, as a “preset”, the job setting information stored inthe RAM 303 and the HDD 305 at the time of installation of theapplication 501. In addition, the job setting information included inthe job performed by the image forming device 104 is managed as a“history”.

The job control unit 507 controls each of a scan processing unit 511, acopy processing unit 512, a print processing unit 513, and a faxprocessing unit 514 according to the received job, and performs variousjobs. At this time, the job control unit 507 performs the job based onthe job setting information set by the user with the operation unit 307and the job setting information of “favorite” and “preset” registered inthe job setting management unit 506. Further, the job control unit 507receives, via the network 103, a job execution request received from thedata processing device 101, and performs various jobs according to thereceived job setting information of the job. In addition, the jobcontrol unit 507 sends the job performance status and also sends theoperation status of devices such as the scanner 313 and the printer 314to the data processing device 101 via the network 103.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a job setting registration process in the dataprocessing device 101 and the image forming device 104 according to thepresent exemplary embodiment.

Steps S601 to S607 in FIG. 6 constitute a flow performed by the CPU 202according to the application 401 stored in the RAM 204, the storagedevice 209, or the like included in the data processing device 101.

In step S601, the device connection unit 404 detects whether the dataprocessing device 101 has been touched by the image forming device 104.If a touch is detected, the operation proceeds to step S602, and if notdetected, the processing repeats step S601. The detection determinationhere uses, for example, whether a short-range wireless communication byNFC or Bluetooth® communication has been accomplished.

In step S602, the device connection unit 404 performs a communicationconnection with the image forming device 104 by a wireless LANcommunication. When the data processing device 101 can make thecommunication connection, the data processing device 101 may send, tothe image forming device 104, a request for acquisition of the jobsetting information. Then, the operation proceeds to step S603.

In step S603, the authentication setting management unit 403 sends theauthentication information of the user to the image forming device 104,and instructs the image forming device 104 to perform the authenticationprocessing. Then, the operation proceeds to step S604. The configurationof the authentication processing is not mandatory.

In step S604, the job setting management unit 406 determines whether thejob setting information has been sent from the image forming device 104.When the job setting information has been sent (Yes in step S604), theoperation proceeds to step S605. If not (No in step S604), the operationends the flow.

In step S605, the job setting management unit 406 receives the jobsetting information sent from the image forming device 104. Then, theoperation proceeds to step S606.

In step S606, the job setting management unit 406 instructs the UIcontrol unit 402 to perform displaying which is based on the receivedjob setting information. With this, the job setting information acquiredfrom the image forming device 104 is displayed on the display 214 of thedata processing device 101. Then, the operation proceeds to step S607.

In step S607, according to the user selection received by the UI controlunit 402, the job setting management unit 406 stores and registers thejob setting information received in step S605.

Steps S608 to S612 in FIG. 6 constitute a flow performed by the CPU 302according to the application 501 stored in the RAM 303 and the HDD 305included in the image forming device 104.

In step S608, the device connection unit 504 determines whether the dataprocessing device 101 has been touched. When the data processing device101 has been touched, the operation proceeds to step S609, otherwiserepeats step S608.

In step S609, the device connection unit 504 performs a communicationconnection with the data processing device 101 by a wireless LANcommunication. This processing corresponds to step S602.

In step S610, the authentication unit 503 performs the authenticationprocessing based on the user information received from the dataprocessing device 101. In addition, the authentication unit 503 sends aauthentication processing completion notification to the data processingdevice 101.

In step S611, the job setting management unit 506 acquires the jobsetting information stored and managed by the image forming device 104,and determines whether to send the job setting information to the dataprocessing device 101. When the job setting management unit 506 sendsthe job setting information (Yes in step S611), the processing moves tostep S612. When the job setting management unit 506 does not send thejob setting information (No in step S611), the operation ends the flow.For example, when there is job setting information registered in theimage forming device 104, it is determined that the job settinginformation is sent, and when there is no job setting informationregistered in the image forming device 104, it is determined that thejob setting information is not sent. In addition, when a job settinginformation acquisition request is received from the data processingdevice 101, it is determined that the job setting information will besent, otherwise it is determined that the job setting information willnot be sent. Information to the effect that the data is not sent may besent to the data processing device 101.

In step S612, to the data processing device 101, the job settingmanagement unit 506 sends the job setting information stored and managedby the image forming device 104.

When the user causes the data processing device 101 to touch the imageforming device 104, the processing in steps S601 to S606 and theprocessing in steps S608 to S612 of this flowchart automaticallyproceed. By doing so, the user, only by the touch operation, can import,to the data processing device 101, the setting information registered inthe image forming device 104.

FIGS. 7A through 7E are flowcharts illustrating the processing by thedata processing device 101 and the image forming device 104 according tothe present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a flowchart of communication connection processing in thedata processing device 101 and the image forming device 104 according tothe present exemplary embodiment.

Steps S701 to S703 in FIG. 7A constitute a flow performed by the CPU 202according to the application 401 stored in the data processing device101. Steps S701 to S703 correspond to the processing in step S602 inFIG. 6.

In step S701, the device connection unit 404 determines whether thecommunication connection with the image forming device 104 is completed.In a case where the connection with the image forming device 104 iscompleted (Yes in step S701), the operation ends the flow. In a casewhere the device connection with the image forming device 104 is notcompleted (No in step S701), the operation proceeds to step S702.

In step S702, the device connection unit 404 receives connectioninformation such as an IP address sent from the image forming device 104using Bluetooth® Low Energy or NFC. Then, the operation proceeds toS703.

In step S703, the device connection unit 404 establishes a wireless LANcommunication with the image forming device 104 based on the receivedconnection information.

Steps S704 to S706 in FIG. 7A constitute a flow performed by the CPU 302according to the application 501 stored in the image forming device 104.Steps S704 to S706 correspond to the processing in step S609 in FIG. 6.

In step S704, the device connection unit 504 determines whether thecommunication connection with the data processing device 101 has beencompleted. In a case where the connection with the data processingdevice 101 is completed (Yes in step S704), the operation ends the flow.In a case where the device connection with the data processing device101 is not completed (No in step S704), the operation proceeds to stepS705.

In step S705, by using the short-range wireless communication, thedevice connection unit 504 sends connection information to the dataprocessing device 101 via the NFC communication unit 310 and theBluetooth® Low Energy communication unit 311 of the image forming device104. Then, the operation proceeds to S706.

In step S706, the device connection unit 504 establishes a wireless LANcommunication with the data processing device 101.

FIG. 7B is a flowchart of the user authentication processing in the dataprocessing device 101 and the image forming device 104 according to thepresent exemplary embodiment.

Steps S707 to S709 in FIG. 7B constitute a flow performed by the CPU 202according to the application 401 stored in the data processing device101. Steps S707 to S709 correspond to the processing in step S603 inFIG. 6.

In step S707, the authentication setting management unit 403 determineswhether the user authentication has been completed in the image formingdevice 104. In a case where the user authentication in the image formingdevice 104 has been completed (Yes in step S707), the operation ends theflow. In a case where the user authentication in the image formingdevice 104 is not completed (No in step S707), the operation proceeds tostep S708.

In step S708, the authentication setting management unit 403 sends theuser's authentication information to the image forming device 104. Then,the operation proceeds to step S709.

In step S709, the authentication setting management unit 403 receives,from the image forming device 104, a flag indicating that the userauthentication has been completed, thereby determines that theauthentication is completed, and ends the processing.

Steps S710 to S712 in FIG. 7B constitute a flow performed by the CPU 302according to the application 501 stored in the image forming device 104.Steps S710 to S712 correspond to the processing in step S610 in FIG. 6.

In step S710, the authentication unit 503 determines whether the userauthentication in the image forming device 104 has been completed. In acase where the user authentication in the image forming device 104 hasbeen completed (Yes in step S710), the operation ends the flow. In acase where the user authentication in the image forming device 104 isnot completed (No in step S710), the operation proceeds to step S711.

In step S711, the authentication unit 503 performs the userauthentication based on the user authentication information receivedfrom the data processing device 101. When the authentication issuccessful, the operation proceeds to step S712.

In step S712, the authentication unit 503 makes a notification of thecompletion of the authentication, by sending, to the data processingdevice 101, a flag indicating that the user authentication has beencompleted.

FIG. 7C is a flowchart of the transmission processing of the job settinginformation in the image forming device 104 according to the presentexemplary embodiment. The processing corresponds to the processing instep S612 in FIG. 6.

In step S713, the job setting management unit 506 determines whether thenetwork connection between the image forming device 104 and the cloudserver 105 has been established in the network control unit 505.Further, when the image forming device 104 is connected to the cloud,the job setting management unit 506 determines whether the job settinginformation is stored in the cloud. When the image forming device 104 isconnected to the cloud and the job setting information is stored in thecloud (Yes in step S713), the operation proceeds to step S714. If not(No in step S713), the operation proceeds to step S715.

In step S714, the job setting management unit 506 instructs the networkcontrol unit 505 to acquire the job setting information list stored onthe cloud server 105. The job setting information list will be describedbelow in FIGS. 9A and 9B. Then, the job setting management unit 506acquires the job setting information list acquired by the networkcontrol unit 505 from the cloud server 105. Then, the operation proceedsto step S716. Here, the job setting information list is a list thatincludes one or more pieces of job setting information registered in theimage forming device 104.

In step S715, the job setting management unit 506 acquires the jobsetting information list stored in the RAM 303 and the HDD 305 of theimage forming device 104. Then, the operation proceeds to step S716.

In step S716, the job setting management unit 506 sends, to the dataprocessing device 101, the job setting information lists acquired insteps S714 and S715.

FIG. 7D is a flowchart of the display processing of the job settinginformation in the data processing device 101 according to the presentexemplary embodiment. The processing corresponds to the processing instep S606 in FIG. 6.

In step S717, the job setting management unit 406 acquires the jobsetting information list received from the image forming device 104 viathe network control unit 405.

In step S718, the job setting management unit 406 reads out the jobsetting information one by one from one or more pieces of job settinginformation included in the received job setting information list, anddetermines whether the same setting has been stored in the dataprocessing device 101. When the job setting information in the receivedjob setting information list has been stored (Yes in step S718), theoperation proceeds to step S720. When the job setting information in thereceived job setting information list is not stored (No in step S718),the operation proceeds to step S719.

In step S719, the job setting management unit 406 adds job settinginformation that has not been stored to a display list.

In step S720, the job setting management unit 406 determines whetherthere is any job setting information that has not been read out from thejob setting information list received from the image forming device 104.When there is unread-out job setting information (Yes in step S720), theoperation proceeds to step S718 and repeats the same flow for theunread-out job setting information. When there is no unread-out jobsetting information (No in step S720), the operation proceeds to stepS721.

In step S721, based on the display list created in step S719, the jobsetting management unit 406 instructs the UI control unit 402 to displaythe job setting information. That is, here, the job setting informationincluded in the job setting information list received from the imageforming device 104 and not registered in the data processing device 101is displayed on the data processing device 101. The flow illustrated inFIG. 7D can display a list of the information acquired by the dataprocessing device 101 and registered in the image forming device 104,and not registered in the data processing device 101. Here, theinformation not registered in the data processing device 101 isdisplayed in the list, but all pieces of the information acquired fromthe image forming device 104 may be displayed.

FIG. 7E is a flowchart of the job setting information registrationprocessing in the data processing device 101 according to the presentexemplary embodiment. The processing corresponds to the processing instep S607 in FIG. 6.

In step S722, the job setting management unit 406 accepts the userselection operation on the job setting information list screen displayedin step S721. Then, the operation proceeds to step S723.

In step S723, the job setting management unit 406 adds the job settinginformation selected by the user to the registration list. In addition,by accepting the user operation in step S722, the selected job settinginformation is registered in the data processing device 101. This is notseen to be limiting, and in another exemplary embodiment, all pieces ofthe job setting information displayed on the data processing device 101may be automatically registered in the data processing device 101without any user operation. With this, simply by causing the dataprocessing device 101 to touch the image forming device 104, the usercan automatically register, in the data processing device 101, thesetting information registered in the image forming device 104.

In step S724, the job setting management unit 406 stores, in the RAM 303or the HDD 305, the registration list created in step S723, andinstructs the UI control unit 402 to display the stored job settinginformation on the display 214 of the data processing device 101.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a job performance processing in thedata processing device 101 and the image forming device 104 according tothe present exemplary embodiment.

Steps S801 to S805 in FIG. 8 constitute a flow performed by the CPU 202according to the application 401 stored in the RAM 204 and the storagedevice 209 included in the data processing device 101. Further, StepsS802 to S804 are the same as steps S601 to S603 in FIG. 6, sodescription thereof is omitted.

In step S801, the job setting management unit 406 acquires, from the UIcontrol unit 402, the job setting information selected by the user.Here, the job setting information selected by the user is the settinginformation registered in FIG. 7E, the setting information such as“preset” and “favorite” registered in the data processing device 101 inadvance, or the like.

In step S805, the job control unit 407 sends the job, which is based onthe job setting information selected in step S801, to the image formingdevice 104 via the network control unit 405.

Steps S806 to S810 in FIG. 8 constitute a flow performed by the CPU 302according to the application 501 stored in the RAM 303 and the HDD 305included in the image forming device 104. Steps S806 to S808 are thesame as steps S608 to S610 in FIG. 6, so description thereof is omitted.

In step S809, the job control unit 507 receives the job received fromthe data processing device 101 by the network control unit 505. Then,the operation proceeds to step S810.

In step S810, the job control unit 507 performs the processing byoperating a functional processing unit of any of the scan processingunit 511, the copy processing unit 512, the print processing unit 513,and the fax processing unit 514 based on the job setting information, orthe like of the received job.

According to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 8, the user selects adesired setting on the data processing device 101 and merely touches theimage forming device 104, so that the user can cause the image formingdevice 104 to perform the processing at the desired setting.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams each illustrating an example of the settinginformation managed by the image forming device 104 according to thepresent exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9A illustrates a job setting information list related to “favorite”and “preset” registered and managed by the image forming device 104. Inaddition, FIG. 9B illustrates a job history information list related tothe “history” registered and managed by the image forming device 104.

A job setting information list 901 related to “favorite” and “preset” iscomposed of an identifier (id) 902 column, a type 903 column, a user 904column, a job type 905 column, and a parameter list 906 column of thejob. The parameter list 906 includes settings such as the number ofcopies and the size. The “preset” setting information registered inadvance in the image forming device 104 corresponds to “favorite”setting information registered by the user in the image forming device104.

A job history list 907 consists of a time 908 column, a type 909 column,a user 910 column, a job type 911 column, and a parameter list 912column. The history of the processing performed by the image formingdevice 104 and the setting information corresponding to the processingare set forth.

In the job setting information lists illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B,when the type of the job is “favorite” or “preset”, the id is assignedto each job setting information, and when the type of the job is“history”, the time information whose job is performed is assigned. Inthe user 904 column, name of the user who registers and manages the jobsetting information is displayed. The information of the user namecorresponding to the authentication information sent from the dataprocessing device 101 is returned to the data processing device 101. Thejob type 905 column displays information on the job type such as scan,print, copy, and fax. Also, in the parameter list 906 column, thesetting contents are stored for each job setting information.

The data processing device 101 acquires the job setting information listgenerated and managed by the image forming device 104, and registers thejob setting information list in the data processing device 101, so thatthe settings such as “favorite” and “preset” registered in the imageforming device 104 can be used on the data processing device 101.

FIGS. 10A through 10E are screen flow diagrams relating to theacquisition and registration of the job setting information by the dataprocessing device 101 according to the present exemplary embodiment.Referring to FIGS. 10A through 10E, description will be given of aseries of user operations of the data processing device 101 related tothe acquisition and registration of the job setting information.

FIG. 10A is a main menu screen of the application 401. On a main menuscreen 1001, buttons 1001 a to 1001 d corresponding to thepre-registered job setting information, and a setting registrationbutton 1001 e are displayed. When the user presses the settingregistration button 1001 e, the screen changes to the screen illustratedin FIG. 10B. The buttons 1001 a to 1001 d correspond to pre-registeredpreset buttons.

FIG. 10B is an instruction screen for acquiring the job settinginformation. A job setting information acquisition instruction screen1002 instructs the user to cause the data processing device 101 to touchthe image forming device 104. When the user causes the data processingdevice 101 to touch the image forming device 104 on this screen, stepsS601 to S605 in the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 6 are performed, andthe screen changes to the screen illustrated in FIG. 10C. When the userpresses a cancel button 1002 a, the screen returns to the main menuscreen 1001.

FIG. 10C is a list display screen of the job setting information, and isa screen displayed in step S606 in the flowchart of FIG. 6. On a listdisplay screen 1003 of the job setting information, a list of settingsbased on the job setting information list acquired from the imageforming device 104 is displayed by the touch operation. In FIG. 10C,pieces of job setting information 1003 a to 1003 e acquired from the jobsetting information list 901 as illustrated in FIG. 9A are displayed. Onthe list display screen 1003, the user can select the job settinginformation to be registered in the data processing device 101. Forexample, when the user selects pieces of the setting information 1003 aand 1003 c (in step S722 in FIG. 7E) and then presses an OK button 1003g, the screen changes to the screen in FIG. 10D.

At this time, on the list display screen 1003, all pieces of the jobsetting information acquired from the image forming device 104 may bedisplayed, or only information frequently used in the past may bedisplayed.

FIG. 10D is a registration screen of the job setting information. On aregistration screen 1004, the pieces of the setting information 1003 aand 1003 c selected by the user on the job setting list display screen1003 are displayed. When the user presses an OK button 1004 c, thescreen changes to the screen illustrated in FIG. 10E. When the userpresses a cancel button 1004 d, the screen returns to the job settinglist display screen 1003.

FIG. 10E illustrates a main menu screen of registered job settinginformation. On a main menu screen 1005, in addition to the variouspre-registered job setting buttons 1001 a to 1001 d, newly registeredjob setting buttons 1005 a and 1005 b are displayed.

Here, an example is stated in which the data processing device 101acquires information from the job setting information list 901 of theimage forming device 104. However, not limited to this, the dataprocessing device 101 may acquire, from the image forming device 104,the history information from the job history list 907, and display thehistory information in a list.

Further, the data processing device 101 may acquire, from the imageforming device 104, information according to the screen displayed on thedata processing device 101 at the time of touching. At this time, thedata processing device 101 sends, to the image forming device 104, theinformation on the screen displayed at the time of touching or theacquisition request of the information according to the screen. Then, insteps S611 and S612 in FIG. 6, the image forming device 104 changes thesetting information to be sent to the data processing device 101 inresponse to the screen information or the acquisition request sent fromthe data processing device 101.

For example, when the data processing device 101 is touched whiledisplaying the job setting information acquisition instruction screen1002, the job setting information corresponding to the “preset” and“favorite” registered in the image forming device 104 is acquired fromthe image forming device 104. When the data processing device 101 istouched while displaying the history information acquisition instructionscreen (not illustrated), the history information registered in theimage forming device 104 is acquired from the image forming device 104.

As described above, by simply causing the mobile terminal to touch theimage forming device 104, the user can perform communication connection,authentication, and acquisition of the setting information registered inthe image forming device. Therefore, to the mobile terminal, the usercan import the setting information registered in the image formingdevice 104, without performing complicated operations. Then, the settinginformation imported to the mobile terminal can be registered in themobile terminal and used at any time. In addition, at the time of thetouch operation, the setting information acquired from the image formingdevice 104 such as “favorite” and “history” can be changed according tothe screen displayed on the mobile terminal. By doing so, the user canintuitively acquire the desired setting information from the imageforming device 104. Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, theexample of importing, to the mobile terminal, the “favorite” setting andhistory information registered in the image forming device 104 isstated, but the information to be imported is not limited to the above.For example, it may be any setting information that has been frequentlyperformed by the image forming device 104 or any information of theprocessing that has been performed most recently by the image formingdevice 104.

In the first exemplary embodiment, the example has been stated in which,by the touch operation of the user, the data processing device 101acquires the job setting information from the image forming device 104,and registers the job setting information. The second exemplaryembodiment describes a method in which, when the data processing device101 is touched, the data processing device 101 acquires the informationcorresponding to the screen displayed by the image forming device 104.Since the basic configuration of the present exemplary embodiment is thesame as that of the first exemplary embodiment, only the difference isdescribed.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are each an example of the screen displayed on theimage forming device 104 according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 11A illustrates a main menu screen 1101. In FIG. 11A, the main menuscreen 1101 displays a list of job setting buttons 1102 to 1106 placedby default and pieces of job history information 1107 a to 1107 e whichare based on the job history list 907 of FIG. 9B. In FIG. 11B,frequently used setting buttons 1111 to 1113 such as “favorite” and“preset” are displayed on a main menu screen 1110. In this way, the usercan check the job history information and the frequently used jobsetting information from the main menu of the image forming device 104.

Further, on the main menu screens 1101 and 1110, a guidance indication1109 for instructing the user to cause the data processing device 101 totouch the image forming device 104 is displayed. With the guidanceindication 1109 displayed on the main menu screens 1101 and 1110, theuser causes the data processing device 101 to touch the image formingdevice 104. With this, when the main menu screen 1101 is displayed, thedata processing device 101 can acquire the history information, and whenthe main menu screen 1110 is displayed, the data processing device 101can acquire the frequently used setting information.

FIGS. 12A through 12C are screen flow diagrams related to theinformation acquisition and registration by the data processing device101 according to the present exemplary embodiment. Since the screen flowdiagrams of the present exemplary embodiment are the same as the screenflow diagrams of FIGS. 10A through 10E of the first exemplary embodimentexcept for the main menu screen, description will be focused on the mainmenu screen.

FIG. 12A is a main menu screen 1201 before the information registration.On the main menu screen 1201, the setting registration button 1001 e onthe main menu screen 1001 in FIG. 10A is not displayed. This is becausethe touch operation instruction for information acquisition is displayedon the image forming device 104 side, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and11B. When the user performs the touch operation while the main menuscreen 1201 is displayed, the list display screen of the acquiredinformation as illustrated in FIG. 10C will be displayed. When the touchoperation of the data processing device 101 is performed while the imageforming device 104 is displaying the screen illustrated in FIG. 11A, theimage forming device 104 sends the history information to the dataprocessing device 101. When the user selects, from the sent historyinformation, the history to be registered in the data processing device101, the data processing device 101 displays the screen in which thehistory information is registered as illustrated in FIG. 12B. Similarly,if the touch operation of the data processing device 101 is performedwhen the image forming device 104 is displaying the screen illustratedin FIG. 11B, the data processing device 101 displays the screen where“frequently used settings” are registered as illustrated in FIG. 12C.

As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, according tothe screen displayed by the image forming device 104, the dataprocessing device 101 can change the information to be acquired.

Other Exemplary Embodiments

In the first exemplary embodiment and the second exemplary embodiment,the information acquired by the data processing device 101 is changed,according to the screen displayed on the data processing device 101 orthe image forming device 104 at the time of the touch operation. Notlimited to this, for the job performance instruction, the dataprocessing device 101 may acquire the setting information from the imageforming device 104 at the time of the touch operation (step S802 in FIG.8 of the first exemplary embodiment).

Other Embodiments

Embodiment(s) can also be realized by a computer of a system orapparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions(e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which mayalso be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of theabove-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits(e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performingthe functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), andby a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, forexample, reading out and executing the computer executable instructionsfrom the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of theabove-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or morecircuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g.,central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and mayinclude a network of separate computers or separate processors to readout and execute the computer executable instructions. The computerexecutable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example,from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include,for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), aread only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, anoptical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD),or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and thelike.

While exemplary embodiments have been described, these embodiments arenot seen to be limiting. The scope of the following claims is to beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent structures and functions.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method for a terminal, the method comprising:displaying a main menu screen for selecting a function to be used,wherein the main menu screen includes a first key; displaying a firstscreen according to selection of the first key, the first screenprompting a user to bring a terminal close to an image processingdevice, wherein the first screen includes an image that represents animage processing device and an image that represents a terminal;receiving setting data sent from an image forming device; and storingthe received setting data to be transmitted to an external device. 3.The method according to claim 2, further comprising: transmitting thestored setting data to the external device.
 4. The method according toclaim 2, wherein the first screen includes a message for prompting theuser to bring the terminal close to the image processing device.
 5. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein the main menu screen is a screenfor selecting a function to be executed by the image processing devicefrom among a plurality of functions including at least a scan functionand a print function.
 6. The method according to claim 2, wherein themain menu screen includes a first object for causing the imageprocessing device to execute a print function, a second object forcausing the image processing device to execute a scan function, and athird object for causing the image processing device to execute a copyfunction.
 7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:acquiring connection information from the image processing device whenthe terminal is brought close to the image processing device, with thefirst screen displayed; and establishing a connection for wireless localarea network (LAN) communication with the image processing device byusing the connection information.
 8. The method according to claim 2,further comprising: displaying a second screen that includes informationthat represents the received setting data.
 9. A method for a terminal,the method comprising: displaying a main menu screen for selecting afunction to be executed by an image processing device, wherein the mainmenu screen includes a first key, a second key for causing the imageprocessing device to execute a print function, and a third key forcausing the image processing device to execute a scan function; anddisplaying a first screen according to selection of the first key, thefirst screen prompting a user to bring a terminal close to the imageprocessing device, wherein the first screen includes an image thatrepresents an image processing device and an image that represents aterminal.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first screenincludes a message for prompting the user to bring the terminal close tothe image processing device.
 11. The method according to claim 10,wherein the main menu screen is a screen for selecting the function tobe executed by the image processing device from among a plurality offunctions including at least the scan function, the print function, anda copy function.
 12. The method according to claim 10, furthercomprising: acquiring connection information from the image processingdevice when the terminal is brought close to the image processingdevice, with the first screen displayed; and establishing a connectionfor wireless local area network (LAN) communication with the imageprocessing device by using the connection information.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 12, wherein the connection information is acquiredvia near field communication (NFC).
 14. The method according to claim12, wherein the connection information is acquired via Bluetoothcommunication.
 15. A terminal comprising: one or more processors; and atleast one memory storing executable instructions, which when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the terminal to: display a main menuscreen for selecting a function to be used, wherein the main menu screenincludes a first key; display a first screen according to selection ofthe first key, the first screen prompting a user to bring a terminalclose to an image processing device, wherein the first screen includesan image that represents an image processing device and an image thatrepresents a terminal; receive setting data sent from an image formingdevice; and store the received setting data to be transmitted to anexternal device.
 16. A terminal comprising: one or more processors; andat least one memory storing executable instructions, which when executedby the one or more processors, cause the terminal to: display a mainmenu screen for selecting a function to be executed by an imageprocessing device, wherein the main menu screen includes a first key, asecond key for causing the image processing device to execute a printfunction, and a third key for causing the image processing device toexecute a scan function; and display a first screen according toselection of the first key, the first screen prompting a user to bring aterminal close to the image processing device, wherein the first screenincludes an image that represents an image processing device and animage that represents a terminal.